


Constellation

by Khaelis



Series: The Doctor and The Rose [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, One Shot, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:14:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22258540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khaelis/pseuds/Khaelis
Summary: Not every constellation in the universe has a name.This one has, now.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: The Doctor and The Rose [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1603117
Comments: 14
Kudos: 74





	Constellation

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Just a short one-short written during lunchtime today (no marking to do , no lesson to plan before end of module assessments, yahoo I acutally got 30 minutes to myself today!)  
> I have started working on the next chapters for my two main WIPs (in case you're waiting for those), but tbh it'll probably have to wait until half-term mid-February.
> 
> Anyway, short fluffy story ahead because I missed those two and I needed a comfort fic!
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it!

* * *

He loves it when she does that. He never joins her, because he knows these are her moments. The moments she chooses to be alone with her thoughts and memories, the moments she chooses not to share with him. He’s glad she enjoys those moments. Too many times he’s seen companions live through him and completely forget who they were. Rose lives with him, not through him. She hasn’t lost sight of the wonderful human she is, in all its complexity and free-will. She’s not a companion. She’s Rose Tyler. 

He never joins her, but for no other reason than the flutter between his hearts that’s felt more than usual, he decides he wants to. Not that she would mind. She’s too kind for that.

He sits down next to her, legs dangling above a void filled with stars, and the flutter between is hearts is felt again when she takes his hand in hers. It’s still hot from the cup of tea she was holding but somehow it makes him shiver. The pleasant kind of shiver. Never, with no one, has he ever felt so little and so much with that kind of touch. It’s so normal and comforting. So simple and so meaningful. She doesn’t even know she’s doing it, but she knows how much he enjoys it. No companion touched him that way before. He never let companions touch him that way before. But Rose isn’t a companion. She’s Rose Tyler.

“We’ve been here before, haven’t we?”

Clever Rose. Of course she would have noticed. 

“What makes you think that?” he asks softly, just because he wants to hear it, just how brilliant she is.

“The pattern in the stars,” she answers, drawing a shape over the canvas of the universe. “I think I’ve already seen it.”

“You may have. It’s a very particular constellation that one. It’s… Unique.”

“Why?”

He almost doesn’t want to explain, because he knows what the consequences could be. They could be beautiful consequences, or they could be disastrous consequences. He also knows the flutter between his hearts will never go away if he doesn’t get it out of his chest. He doesn’t want to let the flutter of love turn into a whirlwind of pain when it’s too late, when she’s gone. He’s made his decision long ago. He just has to seize this opportunity.

“At this point in time and space, you’re looking at a constellation that doesn’t have a name yet,” he starts quietly, bringing his second hand to wrap around their already laced fingers. “See how dim the stars are? That’s because they’ve just been born. The ten of them, born at the same time, not even two hundred years ago.”

“Does it mean something?” she asks as she nestles against his side and rests her head over his shoulder. “Constellations are supposed to have a meaning, aren’t they?”

“They are. But this one has no meaning yet. No name. It could be anything.”

“What would you call it? And what would it mean?”

He was both dreading and hoping for this question. He’s had this answer ready ever since the Tardis started bringing them here, when Rose wanted moments to be alone. He’d caught a glimpse of that constellation. He instantly knew what he would call it. Unique, precious, beautiful. There weren’t many things in this universe like this. Nothing. No one. No one but her.

“It would mean the birth of something new,” he grasps onto the rope that could lead him to confess, the flutter between his hearts growing stronger, quicker. “Who knows what will happen next, who knows for how long it will last, who knows why it was born at all. It would mean luck. It’s unique because it’s not supposed to happen. Ten stars, born at the exact same time, so close to each other they shine with the exact same intensity. Impossible, some would say. Except it’s not. It would mean hope. That no matter how impossible things seem to be, there’s always a way.”

“Like us, being here together, here, now?” she smiles - he doesn’t see the smile, he hears it, he feels it in the way her second hand covers his second hand and squeezes.

“Something like that, yes.”

“You didn’t answer, though. What would would call it?”

He had been terrified by the idea of talking about his feelings, terrified she would reject him, terrified she would feel the same and he’s have to lose her a handful of decades later. He never talks about his feelings. Never. It’s too dangerous. Mortifying.  _ Terrifying _ . That’s what he thought.

But with Rose, it’s different. There’s just this odd feeling that everything is… Supposed to happen this way. He doesn’t need to talk about feelings because they already know. The feelings, they’ve been there forever. It makes everything simple. Everything is quiet. Calm. 

Nothing much happens when she kisses him, or he kisses her, or they kiss each other. The flutter doesn’t turn into a tornado, his heartbeat doesn’t go rampant, his body doesn’t react. 

And it’s the nicest feeling in the whole universe. Because he’s not overwhelmed by a fury of emotions, all he can feel is her body against his, her lips against his, her fingers against his. He can feel her love like he’s never felt it before. This is the birth of something new. Something he doesn’t have to keep all to himself, but can share with her. Nothing will change between them, and he knows it. Except everything will change. He’s lucky. So lucky. He was right to hope. 

“I’ve already named it, actually,” he grins after their lips part - no disappointment, just happiness. “It’s officially registered in the Castian system. You’re looking at luck and hope. You’re looking at something knew. You’re looking at the constellation of Rose and the Doctor.”

“You’re not serious.”

“Do you want to know the best part? Do you want to know what it looks like when it’s spelt in the first alphabet of the Castian system?”

“What?”

“It looks like  _ Us _ .”

* * *


End file.
